Coking retort oven



Dgac. 2l, 1937. J. BECKER COKING RETORT OVEN Filed Aug. 17, 19354 f 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Joso ecer:

L'. ATTORNEY.

Dea 21, 137.

J. BECKER COKING RETORT OVEN Filed Aug. 17, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 REVERSIN@ CABLE' REVERSING: CABLE INVENTOR. Josep/1 Becker? 1aan..ATroRNEY.

Dec. 2l, 1937. J. BECKER COKING RETORT OVEN F'i'led Aug. 1'7, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. Josqoh Becker;

A ATTORNEY.

J. BECKER 2,102,609 COKING RETORT OVEN Filed Aug. 17, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 l INVENTOR.

'ATTORIvmc Q,... n ww an Dec. 2l, 1937.-

Patented Dec. 21, 1937 UNITED STATE come EToarovEN Joseph A Becker,

Pittsburgh, Pa., assigner, by

mesne assignments, to Koppen Company, a corporation of Delaware Application Amat 11, 1935, serial No. 36,682

SCIaims.

My invention relates to improvements in ecking retort ovens, and more particularly to horizontal coke ovens ofthe cross regenerative and under-jet underired type; and preferably it is embodied in ovens of said type that are the Becker cross-over ovens of my Patents' 1,374,546 and, amongst others, 1,904,191 and having the under-jet type of construction exemplified in my vfurther Patents 1,704,239 and 2,003,574 and in certain figures lof my copending application Serial No. 2,564 filed January 19, 1935; and the invention is further applicable to other cross-regenerative under-jet horizontal coke ovens.

This application is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 30,533 led July 9, 1935 wherein I have disclosed improvements of general utility in the coking retort oven art, by means of which more especially, the basement substructure 4oi! under-jet underred ovens may be positively and adequately ventilated by a method which utilizes the stack draft existing in the cross-regenerative and flue system of such oven batteries; and with such provision, the basement structure is cooled to give improved working conditions within that space. Y mentioned invention provides for Awithdrawing as much as all of the combustion air required inthe under-firing system of the battery structure from the basement structure which exists beneath the oven pad, and `which is provided in ovens using this type of` construction for rendering'-` accessible the divers devices and means 4used to control the Aintroduction and distribution of heating gas alongA the oven walls' when the battery is underred with rich gas. My'invention provided subchannels beneath the regenerator soles throughy which basement atmosphere vcould be drawn by the stack draft into the regenerator soles and thence into the heating fines of the under-firing system'. Said subsole-channels open at their in- A ner ends into the battery basement at a point substantially median of the basement ceiling and;

A extend" from one end thereof tothe other.l At their outer ends, they port into the air flow boxes housing the means for controlling the flow of gaseous heating media that enters the regenerative and heating iiue system.

Within that invention, as aforementioned, I mladeprovision for withdrawing combustion air 'requirements from the battery basementand further provided communicating" openings between the battery alleys -andsaid basement so that air removed from the latter by the stack draft would be replaced by air flowing into the Abasement fromthealley ways; .thus furnishing The immediately before- (Cl. 2oz-151) Y not only means for ventilating the basement. but

for cooling th'e alleys aswell. In order to effect this objective purposefully, provision was made to withdraw from the basement, all air required for the underring; and by-passing of the basement was avoided by supplying no communication between the alleys and the ow boxes therein situated.

The effectiveness of the Ventilating and cooling that said invention accomplishes is better realized when it is understood that the underring air requirements demand a complete change of air in the battery basement every four or ve minutes.

'Under some circumstances imposed by season and climate or operating practice, the efficacy of the cooling provided by the above ldescribed ventilation expedient may be so effective as to produce an undesirable operating situation, i. e., the temperature of the rich gas flowing through the basement distributing means may be reduced such that it attains a temperature below thedew-point, thereby producing condensates which will accu l mulate within the distribution lines and may de- Iposit moisture in the control orifices in the branch lines and disturb the unform distribution of the heating media to the regenerators and fiues.

lviy invention has for an object,therefore, provision of means whereby the disadvantageous contingency aforementioned maybe successfully circumvented and, briey stated, comprises providing the air-flow boxes in the alley-ways with4 rangementI provide great latitude in choosing the source of. the under-firing air requirements. During periods of extremely cold weather, the total combustion air used 'may be taken from the V alley-ways and the heat radiatedfrom the battery structure into the basement, may be conserved therein to maintain the rich fuel gas in the distributingr lines at a tenfperature above its dewpoint, yor during the hot seasons when atmospheric temperatures are high and there exists no danger of reducing the temperatures in the distributing lines below the dew-point of the -gas flowing therethrough, the total combustion 'air may be Withdrawn from the battery' basement and the benefit of the ventilating and cooling advantage to the basement structure thereby obtained, realized.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication and showing for purposes of exempliiication certain preferred forms and manner in which the invention may be embodied and practiced, but without limiting the claimed invention specifically to such illustrative instance or instances:

Figure 1 shows a longitudinal cross-section in elevation through one of the ovens comprising a battery of the aforesaid cross-regenerative under-jet Becker ovens including an embodiment of my invention. i

Figure 2 is a section on the line II-II of Figure 1 and shows the underfiring arrangement of a plurality of ovens forming one end of an oven battery, wherein the rich-gas introduction into the heating `flues for underiiring purposes is effected using the under-jet principle, and the waste gases are owed to the ues in the opposite heating-wall in the well known cross-over manner exemplied by the above-mentioned Becker crossover patents, the said Waste gases passing on through the waste-heat regenerators and thence to the stack disposal;

Figure 3 shows an elevational view, parts in section, of a type of ow-box construction showing the disposition of the valves and their actuating means which may be used to control the air and waste-heat ow in this exemplication of my invention;

Figure 4 shows a plan view of the same ow-box construction.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view through the battery on the line V-V of Figure 1, to show in plan the arrangement of the subsole-channels that my invention provides beneath the crossregenerator sole-channels and just above the pad that directly supports the regenerators of the battery, to provide for the intake of air from the battery sub-structure and for the distribution and delivery of such air to the regenerator sole-channels;

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the battery along lines VI-VI of Figure 1 to show the arrangement of the supporting piers and work-passages in the sub-structure of the battery and also the disposition of the richgas main and of the lateral waste-gas tunnel structures on the coke-side and pusher-side respectively of the sub-structure of the battery;

Figure l is a horizontal sectional view taken on lines VlI-VII of Figure 1.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts in all of the above gures of the drawings.

The coking retort oven or oven battery comprises a series of horizontal coking-chambers I!) and intermediate heating-walls I2 ltherefor and side-by-side therewith, and series of side-by-side regenerators I3, I4 below and paralleling the series of coking-chambers and heating-walls. The heating-walls comprise vertical heating-nues I5 disposed in sets in each heating-wall, the sets or pairs of mutually adjacent heating-walls being mutually connected by crossover-conduits I6 through which the hot combustion products or Waste-heat gases from the up-fiow or burning set of heating-fines in one heating-wall 'low over to the down-now set of heating-nues in the other heating-wall of the pair, the up-iiow being reversed and the up-ow set becoming the downow set and vice versa upon the reversal of the regenerative system. The aforesaid cross-regenerators, below and paralleling the series of cokingchambers and heating walls, are directly supported on a pad or mat II and are disposed in groups of four, each group having two middle regenerators I3, I3 that may be employed for preheating poor or weak gas and are anked by air regenerators I4, I4, or all four regenerators in the group I3, I3, I4, I4 may be employed for preheating air when the oven is underred with rich gas from its under-jet connections. At any given time, alternate groups of regenerators operate for up-iiow of air, or of preheated gas and air, and the intermediate groups for down-ow of waste gases, these relations being reversed in each period of reversal of the regenerative system. The regenerators I3, I3 at their tops connect through ducts I'I, I1 with heating-nues in heating-walls that are on respectively opposite sides of the coking-chambers directly above such pair of regenerators I3, I3; and the two regenerators I4, I4 which flank said regenerators I3, I3 in each group, each communicate respectively, through ducts I8, with the heating-nues in one of the said two heating-walls that are both in connection with said regenerators I3, I3. Such two heating-walls operate simultaneously in the same direction in respect of each other and respectively belong to two adjacent pairs of the pairs of heating-walls that are connected by cross-over conduits I 6 in the manner before described. The pillar-walls 23, supporting the battery sub-structure, that are between each pair of regenerators I3, I4 that simultaneously operate in the same direction, are provided with gas ducts that lead from the heating-flue at the top of such pillarwall down through the pillar-wall and the underlying pad to the under-jet connections beneath the pad that communicate with the rich-gas supply conduits and main in the passages of the substructure of the battery.

When underring with rich gas, that is with gas which is produced as a result of the distillation or coking process, the same is introduced into the battery structure from the gas main 20 in the battery basement. This main parallels the length-wise axis of the battery its entire length. At intervals along this gas main and rising perpendicularly therefrom, are found the branch lines 2l which are communicably connected with the distributing lines 22 situated beneath each series of vertically disposed heating ues in an oven wall and extending substantially parallel thereto the entire length of each flue series. Each heating flue I5 (Figure 2) is supplied at its lower end with rich gas by means of the vertically rising ducts I9 which extend from the branch lines 22 through the oven-pad and the regenerator pillar-walls 23, to the gas nozzles situated at the base of each flue. 'I'he volume of gas iowing each distributor line 22, is regulated by means of the valve 41; and graduated orice-plates, which may be changed from time to time, are provided in the accessible lower ends of the gasducts that extend up from the sub-structure passage-ways to the bases of the individual amefiues.

Each regenerator has the usual sole-ue 24, and beneath each regenerator sole-liuc 24, and extending approximately parallel therewith throughout its length, there is a Ventilating duct or subsole-channel 25 which is or structurally lies atop the oven-pad II. Those four subsolechaunels 25 lying beneath the sole-fiues 24 of the four regenerator sections serving the heatingcross-over iiues, are inter-connected by means of lateral ducts 26 near their outer ends. At the inner end of each subsole-channel and adjacent to the regenerator division wall 2l extending the lengthwise axis of the battery, there is a port 28.

this air then 'passes through valve 30, as shown `by the arrows (Figure 1) and enters the regenerator sole-flue 24, where it is distributed to the checker-brick above through the communicating openings 3l.

Mechanical means are not necessary to eiect the passage of air through'the subsole-channel, the stack draft and chimney eilect in the regenerators and heating-fines being suicient forl that purpose.

For eiecting the reverse interval of gaseous` flow in the regenerative heatingcycle, when the former flame-fines become the waste-heat flues and those regenerators which served for the inilow of air then carry the products of combustion to the stack, I have provided a novel mechanical device to accomplish the periodic fiowreversal, as is shown in Figures 3 and 4. I have also provided means for maintaining a flow of air in those subsole-channels 25 which at oneA period of the heating cycle lie beneath the sole-ues serving to flow combustion products from the regenerators into a waste heat tunnel `32, and

which therefore do not discharge air into the' regenerator sole-lues 24 above.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the ow-boxf is communicably connected by means of the pipe 34 with one of the waste-heat tunnels 32, and at one end bifurcates and by suitable sleeve connections 35 and packing is held in gas-tight connection with the regenerator sole-ues 24. Within each sleeve 35 is found a valve 30 which is operable by movement of the links 36 toopen or close as preferred. Each valve 30 is provided with a valve-seat 3l. lCommunication between lthe Waste-heat tunnel 32 and the regenerator soleflues 24 is established or )broken by respectively opening or closing the valve 38 situated in the flow-box 33 at its junction with pipe 34. The

valve 38 may be, opened or closed by raising or lowering the counter-weight 39. The two valves 30 and valve 33, contained within one flow-box and serving two regenerator halves, are joined by the suitable lever links 36 and 4U so as to be actuated in unison by movement of the reversing theconnecting chain moving over the pulley 43 v raises the counterweight 39, simultaneously ef. fecting the closing of both valves 30 and opening of the valve 38, thereby establishing communication between the waste-heat tunnel 32 and the sole-fines 24. y

By the same movement of the reversing cable, similar valves in the adjacent ilow-box associated with the other pair of sole-fines communicating, through the other regenerators and Aheat-` ing-wall, with the same series of cross-over fiues near the top of the battery, are .moved into the reverse position, i. e., their valves 30 are opened and valve 38 is closed, thus permitting air to flow from the subsole-channels 25 into the regenerator sole-nues on the'opposite side of the flow` reversal plane. v

` From the aforegiven description of my invention it is apparent that the flow of air through the subsole-channels 25 is eil'ected by the natural draft in the heating fiues and the combustionproducts discharge-stack. With the closing of the valves '34 at the end of a period of the regenerative heating cycle and the consequent severing of communication between the sole-,flues and their subsole-channels beneath, this agency to eifect the movement of air in the subsolechannels is cut off. During one-half of the heatfect would be obtained from the presence on one-half of these Ventilating means in the battery structure. To obviate this situation, Aand provide a flow 'of air in all subsole-channels during both periods of the heating cycle, I interconnect near their outer ends by means of the ducts 26, the subsole-channels beneath those sole-flues which alternately supply air to or carry basement -passages 45, as shown by the arrows in Figure 1.- A constantly nchanging flow of air through thel alley-waysl 44, the battery substructure passages 45 and the subsole-channels `is thereby maintained which serves to cool these parts of the battery structure and give improved operating conditions therein. The obvious benefits derived from so introducing all the combustion air into the battery will obtain in those geographical positions or during those seasons of the year that the atmospheric temperatures permit of so doing without reducing the temperatures of the fuel gas flowing through the distributing lines, as for example 19, 24 and 22, below its d ew point. When, however, the' atmospheric temperatures reach a level that such practice reduces the temperature of the gas in the distributing means to a point where condensates begin to form therein and it therefore becornes` necessary to reduce the amount of cooling of the battery basement that is effected by flowing the-total combustion air requirements therethrough, I provide means whereby only that quantity of the combustion air may be removed from. the battery basement which will give the preferred operating temperatures therein and the remainder ,may be obtained from thev alley-ways. In other words, I furnish a combination of airsupplying means which permits meto use either the battery alleys or .the basement individually as the total source of underfiring air supply or to so proportion air derived from the two sources that the maximum cooling of the basement will be effected that will give rise to no formation of condensates in the fuel gas dis-A tributing lines.

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By means, therefore, of the valve 50 in the now-box 33, air may be introduced directly from the alley-ways into the sole-channels 24 in regulable amounts where it will be admixed, before owing into the regenerator checker-brick above, with any air arriving therein by way of subsole-channels 25 and valve 30. By means of the chain 5I which communicates with the reversing cable in the well-known manner, valve 5l) may be opened and closed simultaneously with the opening and closing of valve 3D during the periods of flow reversal in the flue system.

It, therefore, becomes apparent that by means of the regulable valves 29 and 5G and proper adjustments thereof, combustion air from the two possible zones of origin may be admlxed in any preferred proportion and that the flue and stack-drafts still serve as the supplying means for introducing the mixture into the heating ue system.

In my invention, that combustion air for the battery which is derived from the basement structure is taken from points substantially median of and distributed along the basement roof from one end to the other of the battery,

and the air is drawn from directions that ex? tend crosswise of the battery, from the open topped alley-ways on the pusher side and coke side respectively toward the median line of intakes to the subsole-channels, so that not only is the warmest air in the substructure basement passages removed first but also the withdrawal is uniformly distributed over the Whole area and is positive and controlled independently of outside atmospheric conditions.

A better appreciation will be obtained of the extent of the temperature control that is effected by thus maintaining a positive flow into and complete replacement of the air in the alley-'ways and battery basement, when it is realized that a battery coking 1G00 tons of coal per day will consume approximately 800 tons of air for the battery underring, and the flowing of only a portion of this amount through the battery basement will be a significant contribution toward maintaining a more comfortable operating environment therein.

My invention, therefore, provides positive and effective means for maintaining suitable, advantageous and improved operating conditions in the basement structure of a battery of the aforementioned type. It readily adapts itself to adjustments which will meet requirements imposed by changing seasonal conditions and so permits maintaining, within the battery basement, substantially uniform and preferred temperatures at all times. The temperature within the fuel gas distribution lines can be uniformly held above `the dew point of the distributed gas and any heat radiated from the above lying regenerators, which may be in excess of the amount required to meet that condition, may be dissipated, if preferred. In winter all or a substantial proportion of the combustion air may be introduced into the regenerators from the alley-ways and the heat radiated to the basement retained there, whereas in summer, themajority if not the total combustion air requirement may be withdrawn from the basement to assist in dispersing excessive heat that may tend to collect therein. t

Referring to Figure 5, it will be noted that a substantial proportion of the zone between the oven-pad and the substructure comprises air spaces, which are good insulation media, serving as a barrier against heat transfer from the regenerators to the pad and basement structure beneath, the einciency of which is augmented by the continuously changing air fiowing therethrough which is being replaced by air at a lower temperature. For circumstances where high temperatures would be otherwise inclined to prevail, this feature alone is of special importance.

To facilitate removal of dust or the like which may be deposited by the air passing through the Ventilating channels and also make accessible for adjustments the valve 30, the removable plate 46 is provided. An air blast or any preferred means may be used to effect the dust removal.

The invention as hereinabove set forth is embodied in particular form and mannerbut may be variously embodied within the scope of the claims hereinafter made.

I claim:

1. In a battery of coking retort ovens, in combination a series of alternate coking retort chambers and flued heating walls therefor arranged slde-by-side in a row, cross regenerators beneath said chambers and paralleling the same and having sole-channels communicating with the regenerators, a structural pad supporting said re'- generators and their sole channels and itself supported above a sub-structure Aproviding accessible passage-ways throughout the basement of the battery, a system of under-jet underfring for said heating walls and accessible in said passage-ways, a series of subsole-channels intermediate the pad and the sole-channels of the regenerator chambers and paralleling the latter, said subsole-channels having air inlets arranged for intake of air along the middle line of the basement roof at the longitudinal median line of said row and said subsole-channels communicating through ports at their outer ends with the sole-channels, a series of air-fiow boxes for introducing underring air into the regenerators, said air-flow boxes having communicable connections directly with the atmosphere in the battery alleyways and with said sole-channels at their outer part, valve-means for the basement air inlets to the sub-sole channels and for the communicable connections of the air flow boxes to the atmosphere whereby air may be taken into the sole channels either from the basement or from the alley-ways, and said battery having openings along the pusher-side and coke-side of the basement for in-draft of air from the outside atmosphere and maintaining through the basement cross drafts from said side openings to said subsole-channel intakes along the middle line of the basement roof at the longitudinal median line of said row.

2. A coke oven battery as in claim 1 and having waste-heat valved-means for controlling outow of waste-gas from the sole channels to wastegas oiftake-means, and valve means for disconnecting communication between the regenerators and the basement and outside atmosphere during operation of said waste-heat valved-means to open position for the waste-heat outflow periods of the reversal of such regenerators.

3. In a battery of coking retort ovens, in combination a series of alternate coking retort chambers and fiued'walls therefor arranged side-byside in a row, cross regenerators beneath said chambers and paralleling the same and having -sole-channels communicating with the regeneraabove a sub-structure providing accessible passage-ways throughout the basement of the bataioaeoc `terirfa system of under-jet underring for said at the longitudinal median line of said row and said subsole-channels communicating through ports at their outer ends with the sole iiues of the regenerators, a series of air-flow boxes for introducing underflring air into the regenerators, said air-flow boxes having communicable connections directly with the outside atmosphere at the cokeand pusher-sides of the battery and with said sole-channels at their outer part, valve-means for the basement air inlets to the sub-sole channels and for the communicable connections of the air flow boxes to the atmosphere Awhereby air may be taken into the sole channels either from the basement or from the atmosphere at the cokeand pusher-sides of the battery, and said battery having openings along the pusher-side and coke-side of the basement for in-draft of air from the outside atmosphere and maintaining through the basement cross drafts from said side openings to said subsole-channel intakes along the middle line of the basement roof at the longitudinal median lineof said row.

4. In a battery of coking retort ovens, in combination a series of alternate coking retort chambers and flued heating walls therefor arranged slde-by-side in a row, cross regenerators beneath said chambers and paralleling the same and having sole-channels communicating with .the regenerators, a structural pad supporting said regenerators and their sole-channels and itself supported above 'a sub-structure providing accessible passage-ways throughout the basement of the battery, a system of under-jet underring for said heating walls and accessible in said passage-ways, a series of subsole-channels adjacent said pad and below and parallel with the sole-channels of the regenerators, said subsolechannels porting at their outer ends into the regenerator sole-channels and having air inlets arranged for intake of basement air at the longitudinal median line of said row, communicating means for communication between the regenerators and the outside air separately from communication of the regenerators with the basement air through the basement air inlets therefor, and regulable valve-means for both the air inlets in the basement and for said communicating means adapted to apportion the underlring air requirements of the battery between the basement derived and outside derived air.

5. A coke oven battery as in claim 4 and having waste-heat tunnels directly communicating with the regenerator sole-channels, and valve'connections for separately controlling the iiow of waste gas to the tunnels from the regenerators and of air to the regenerators from the subsole-channels and thegoutside air.

6. In a coking oven retort battery comprising a row of cross-regenerative coking chambers supported on a structural pad elevated above accessible basement passage-ways, the ovens extending substantially parallel with and alternatelydisposedbetween series of vertically disposed heating iiues, with regenerators beneath, the underiix'ing ilow reversal planes being substantially parallel with the lengthwise axis oi' the coking chambers, beneath the regenerator sole-channels and the pad a seriesof ow channels having discharging ports porting into the regenerator solechannels and inlet ports communicating with the basement air nearthe longitudinal median line of said row to carry the air underiring requirement of the battery, those channels porting into the regenerator sole-channels which alternately carry combustion air to or the products of combustion from communicating heating flues munication between the regenerators on opposite sides of the ilow reversal plane with the waste heat tunnel and withthe outside air and-the underlying iiow channel series in alternation with each other. l

7. A battery of horizontal coking retort ovens comprising, in combination, a seriesI of alternate coking chambers and intermediate heating walls therefor arranged side-by-side with a series of cross-regenerators therefor beneath and paralleling the same, a structural pad supporting said regenerators and itself supported above a substructure providing accessible throughout the -basement of the battery, a system of under-jet firing for said heating walls comprising fuel gas connections leading from the basement directly to the heating ues and accessible from the basement and valved air-conduit connections leading from the basement to the regenerators for conveying the air for combustion from the basement to the regenerators for preheating for combustion, and a waste gas ilue alongside the basement on at least one longitudinal side of the battery andhaving valved connections for oi-ilow of waste gas from the regenerators, openingsv being provided all along both the pusher-side and coke-side of the basement for indraft of the combustion air requirements of the battery into the basement from the outside atmosphere, the air inlets for substantially all of the air-conduit connections which lead from the basement to the regenerators being arranged and concentrated at substantially the region ofthe lengthwise middle of the top part of the basement so as to maintain throughout the basement, from the side openings at the cooler longitudinal cokeand pusher-sides of the battery lall the way into the warmer lengthwise middle region of the basement, Ventilating crossdrafts of the total volume of combustion air for the basement regenerator air inlets, with all air supplied to the regenerators from the basement by the regenerator air inlets therein confined to air substantially solely from thewarmer lengthwise middle region of the basement,air inflow boxes having valved communicable connections directly with the atmosphere and with the regenerators at the cokeand pusher-sides of the battery whereby air may be taken into the regenerators either from the basement or directly from the atmosphere at the cokeand pushersides of the battery.

8. A coke oven battery as claimed in claim '1,' and in which the' valved connections for the airl inflow boxes and for the basement air inlets are independently adjustable valves for apportioning the underiiring air requirements of the battery between the basement-derived air and the outside-derived air.

JOSEPH- BECKER.

passageways I being interconnected, means for establishing coml 

